as in clannish
bound together by feelings of very close association
the cliquish White House press corps soon let him know that he was not on the A-list
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliquish
Adjective
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In the Middle Ages, local churchgoers whispered of clannish Jews poisoning wells to kill Christian children and steal their blood for their rituals.—
Mike Rothschild,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026 -
The flood of immigrants who settled in the area were a motley crew – clannish Scandinavians, Germans, Irish Catholics escaping famine, Yankees from New England, Black refugees from the segregated South, Mexican workers seeking a better life.—
Harry Boyte,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The shows are accompanied by similar drops in ad revenue and increasing production costs, an ongoing shift to digital viewership, political constraints and publicity-friendly interview questions.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Putin presided over a parade that featured hardware such as the Geran-2, the Russian version of Iran’s Shahed drone, and played host to friendly leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The Friends set was notorious for being cliquey and insular.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez is a lead contender to replace Morales, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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This takes the Hylian magic of Nintendo’s long-running RPG game and brings it to the modern gamer in ways both familiar and unique.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Sosa previously revealed that the former DWTS partners — who remained close-knit on social media in the months following Delvey's exit from the show — were on the rocks last fall.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
19 Apr. 2026
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Local neighborhoods are so close-knit that everyone knows each other, said Allison Buell, a teacher and coach in Hammond.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Because the Celtics, provided they close-out the 76ers, have the kind of shooters the Hawks don’t.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Qatar could deepen its already close defense ties to Turkey, and China, which is close to Iran, could play a greater diplomatic role.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Cliquish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cliquish. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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